


Like You Do

by Moonfireflight, Zifeara



Series: Those That ___ Together Out of Place [1]
Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: A brief moment of impure thoughts, F/M, Fluff, Idiots in Love, Jealousy, Name spoilers, Normal Human Activities
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-11
Updated: 2019-08-11
Packaged: 2020-08-19 10:40:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,739
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20208394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moonfireflight/pseuds/Moonfireflight, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zifeara/pseuds/Zifeara
Summary: A point in the future of the Those That Laugh Together series, Seven and Zifeara take a happy little trip to the mall, something the former agent has never done for fun.





	Like You Do

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Saeyoung Week 2019 as a collab with my good friend Moonfireflight, I was surprised at how well our writing styles meshed! It's actually really hard to tell what she wrote and what I did! 
> 
> This will eventually get added to the main work when we get to that point, but for now, enjoy!

“What just… hang out at the mall? That’s a thing?” Saeyoung twirled a pen between his fingers as he thought over the idea. He tended to avoid busy public spaces out of habit, and the idea of going to the mall just to be there, not get something specific was foreign to him. 

“I mean  _ yeah _ ? Show up, get a pretzel or something, wander around, shop if you want, go into Hot Topic because I’m me and we have to, check if there’s a movie you want to see? Go?” She grinned, though was clearly confused at how this hadn’t occurred to him. They were finally at a point where Saeran could be trusted by himself and she insisted they needed a break.

He spun the pen once more and launched it across the living room, never to be seen again. “Okay! I’m up for it if you are! Since we’re going together, it’ll be fun! We’ll get one of every snack! Is Hot Topic that spooky girl place you told me about?” he asked with a smirk. 

Crossing her arms and leaning weight to one side, there was a hint of challenge to her tone. “Look you, if you’re going to knock where all my clothes come from, do it after you’ve been there. And try to keep it up when you end up buying something too. Those space-patterned pants you keep threatening to steal? They make those in your size and they come from Hot Topic. Shut it and get in the car.”

“Aw, honey, you know it doesn’t matter where your clothing comes from as long as it ends up on my floor,” he laughed, and stepped back to dodge the expected onslaught. He was already holding his arms up in surrender as he continued. “Space pants! Let’s do it!” 

She graduated from lightly smacking him on the arm to snagging the hood of his jacket, pulling him towards the garage. “Saeran, I’m finally putting your brother in the body well, don’t wait up for dinner!” The noncommittal noise from elsewhere in the house indicated he heard them, and that he didn’t care.

Saeyoung floundered along behind her, still chuckling. “My car or yours?”

“I’ve been stuck in this house for a few weeks, we’re taking mine and we’re making it to the mall in record time. I have a need for speed.”

While she was talking, he had managed to weasel his way out of his hoodie, and he wrapped his arms around her midsection, humming happily next to her ear. “Sounds good to me.” 

Squirming, Zifeara did little to actually free herself, though she hadn’t let go of the jacket either. “We’re never going to get there if you don’t let me get to the car, you know. Also,” finally escaping his grasp, she dodged out of the way so he couldn’t grab her again, donning his hoodie, “this is mine now. You have forfeited jacket rights.”

He gasped in mock horror, hands high above his head. “Noooo, my precious hoodie!” After pausing for a moment to admire her, he realized it wasn’t all bad. “...Looks way better on you, babe. I relinquish my treasured jacket... for now.” 

Grabbing her set of keys from the box, she was quick to move through the garage and slip into her super car. Sighing heavily, she pet the dashboard. “I know, I know, you’ve been held prisoner for too long. We’re heckin out of here, boyo.”

Saeyoung settled into his seat, grinning at her. He was glad he was no longer the only one he knew who talked to his baby cars. The second his butt hit the seat, he leaned towards Zifeara, hoping to steal a kiss before they headed out for their mall adventure. 

Tilting her head just so, she made sure she was exactly out of his reach. “Oh I’m sorry, did you need something?”

“So cruel!” he whined with practiced drama. “How can you deny the love of your life his only request?”

Snickering, she shoved her key in the ignition and the car roared to life. “Like this, I suppose.”

The tires squealing as she built up speed to rocket them out of the garage the second the door opened drowned out his loud protest and they were well on their way. His back bouncing against the seat, he slapped around until he found the seatbelt and clicked it into place, laughing the whole time. They spent the drive singing along to some of their favorite songs - her melodic voice a counterpoint to his occasionally off-key attempts, making them crack up even more. As they parked in the looming concrete structure adjacent to the mall, Saeyoung started feeling… unnaturally tense. The last time he was even at a mall, it was to stalk a target and carried the bonus of netting him a new wig for a mission. He had never been there to socialize, only to work or get something mildly related to his job. He’d never been the biggest fan of crowds either and judging by how long it took them to find a free spot, the mall was going to be packed.  _ Deep breaths, it’s going to be fine.  _

Coming around the hood to reach his side, Zifeara took both his hands, snapping him out of his thoughts. She didn’t seem to have felt him startle and it was probably for the best. “Alright, I guess you’ve suffered enough by my hand.” She leaned forward and gave him the briefest peck on the lips before pulling. “Let’s go see if we can find you space pants.”

He happily let himself be drawn out of the car, his nervousness ebbing away a little. “To the mall, and space pants!” 

Getting into the mall itself was easy enough. There were a few couples making their way just the same, a few families with children eagerly skipping forward, ready to embark upon their quest of wreaking havoc. Even getting through the front doors wasn’t that bad. The people were more concentrated here due to the proximity of the movie theater, but things were still just fine. He nearly got to ask where the directory to the mall was before Zifeara started walking with purpose, forcing him to keep up. Of course she already knew where she was going.

With a few speedy steps he caught up to her and laced his fingers with hers. “Er, were we going to see what’s playing at the theater first?” 

Darting a glance his way, the smile she bore was one of absolute mirth. “Babe, you’ve never had to go to a Hot Topic with me before. I can spend long enough in there that we will miss a movie if we plan that far ahead.”

“Planning is overrated anyway! Bring it on!” Officially caught up, he walked proudly next to his cute girlfriend, looking forward to seeing what all the excitement was about. Suddenly, the thought of her trying on new clothing became an idea he fixated on, and this idea kept sounding better and better. 

“Besides, no one goes to a mall with a  _ plan _ . You go to get lost in an afternoon of endless, mundane possibilities. And you know, be immediately sick of other humans afterwards.” While her tone suggested sarcasm, he was well aware she was entirely serious. Zifeara could reduce the population of Earth to about a thousand people and not feel bad about it. Though he fully expected to have a good time at the mall, a concentrated dose of being out in public would definitely make home all the more appealing later. 

As they continued down the pathway, he realized they were approaching what seemed to be a human traffic jam. His grip on her hand tightened ever so slightly as he steeled himself to deal with it. It wasn’t even fear that he felt, just vague discomfort. The mindset of being on a mission was hard to shake, and he couldn’t help glancing around to pinpoint exits, blind corners, and places to duck into should they need to disappear.

His girlfriend was an unstoppable force, flowing through people moving too slow for her taste, on a mission of her own. They had time to waste, damn it, and it wasn’t going to happen here. Something about his mind wasn’t willing to settle down; he found himself scanning every face they had to dart around, noting unique features on each one. His hypervigilance was in overdrive, especially since he had a charge attached. He was not only the perfect escape artist, but now he was a guardian. Things were different and he was starting to have a little sympathy for Vanderwood.

He was about two seconds from overreacting to a guy that just looked a little sketchy when Zifeara jerked his hand and ducked into a store. Based on the bright, cheery attitude of the place, this was not where they were meant to be. Looking around, this wasn’t even a clothing store. There were tubes of goo and candles everywhere.

“Babe, you’re kinda freaking out. Pick up a candle, find one that you think will annoy your brother with how flowery it is, and chill.” She met his eyes, gaze soft and patient.

“S-sorry. You’re right. I need to just relax and enjoy this. Wait. They have candles that smell like cookies and soda?” 

Giggling, she let go of his hand to give him one. “Sae, they have candles that smell like things you’ve never heard of before. That’s literally all they do.”

Saeyoung popped the lid off of the candle before reading it, inhaling deeply. He immediately cringed away from the thing and scrunched up his face, frowning at the jar. “Blugh! What was that? Black sand? What even is this supposed to smell like, because it isn’t sand!” 

There was clear effort not to laugh directly at him, but Zifeara wasn’t entirely composed. “You really have to read labels before you stick your face in a candle, love.”

“I trusted you!” he said, giving her his best puppy dog face, while handing the offending item back to her. 

“You didn’t give me time to warn you! You’re supposed to hold it at least an inch from your nose or else this happens!” Handing him a new one, she shook her head. “Try this one instead.”

“How are candles so complicated?” This time, he read the label first. “Hmm, banana bread?” Sniffing at it gingerly, he decided this one was much better. It was buttery and fruity and almost smelled edible. “Good choice!” 

“See, you’re fine. A little too eager, but fine. Now we get to play my favorite game!” Bouncing over to a table, she picked up a new candle, this one a bright red. “Time. To. Plaaaaaaay! ‘What the fuck is this supposed to be?’ A game only played in candle isles where they name things stupidly. Hold this and don’t let the label show. We both smell it, try and guess the idiodic scent, and whoever is closer wins.”

No longer a creature of nervousness for the moment, he nodded, ready to play along. “I see- a duel of wits it is!” 

He lost track of time spent enveloped in this world of fragrance, constantly bouncing from pleasing to horrendous, never understanding why in the world some of these things could be equated to a smell. Then again, he wasn’t certain what he’d been expecting considering he’d never been in a store full of candles. By the time he could barely smell  _ anything _ anymore, they were ready to embark on their original quest once more.

Weaving through the crowd seemed a bit less daunting this time. He focused instead on the hand he held and the excitement radiating off of Zifeara as they approached their goal. He first saw the big metal sign with letters like flames spelling out the name of her shop of choice. Beneath it, imposing iron gates framed the doorway to a sea of black clothing, with some splashes of color here and there. In a way, it reminded him of some parts of Zifeara’s home. Actually, her whole closet looked just like this and now he knew why.

It took him maybe a little too long to realize he no longer had a hold of his girlfriend. He was a little overwhelmed by the… everything surrounding him, and almost bumped into a display of pewter jewelry and ear studs. It was loud and the discordant music made it difficult to focus on any one thing at a time. His brain was convinced this was it. This was exactly how he got his girlfriend kidnapped from right under his nose. This was how he fucked up his life again. In Hot Topic.

“-young! Hey, didn’t you hear me?” Zifeara’s hand on his back caused him to whip around, completely perplexed by how she’d gotten behind him unnoticed.

“You’re okay! Of course you’re okay! Obviously.” The strained smile on his face spoke volumes about exactly how obvious it wasn’t. “So uh, where shall we start?” Saeyoung glanced around the store with a complete lack of nonchalance. 

Raising an eyebrow and visibly reconsidering letting go of him, Zifeara slipped a couple of her fingers through one of the unused belt loops of his jeans. “Well, like I told you about thirty seconds ago, I usually start in clearance land and see if anything cool fits me.”

He nodded, probably a few more times than necessary as she pulled him along behind her. As they navigated the narrow aisles, they passed a row of geeky socks and he managed to nab a pair with cats on them. He wasn’t yet sure if they would be a better fit for him or for her, but either way, he needed them. One of the displays they were about to pass was covered in a cute grey cat he recognized from the internet. There were plushies and boxed figures amidst shirts and bags. 

Forgetting that Zifeara was attached to him, literally, he stopped to look at them, immediately picking up one of the plushies to show her. “Loooook! It’s Pusheen! The bouncy kitty!” 

Being that she was holding onto him loosely, she did little more than jerk forward slightly. The moment she turned around, saw what he was holding, and saw the size of the display behind him, she conceded that her plan held no pertinence any longer. Sighing, she released her hold. “Okay,  _ stay here _ while I go find a basket. I have a feeling we’ll need it.” At least she could trust him to stay by the cats.

“Thanks! Oooh, so many kitties!” he said, picking up blind boxes and shaking them as if he could figure out which one he had, eyeing it intently. Upon realizing the many flaws in his plan, he stood up tall again to see if he could still catch sight of Zifeara. As long as he could still see her, he was fine. He alternated between picking out the best candidates from the display and confirming her location. 

The moment she returned, he had half an armful of things to dump on her. Not all of just one cat of course, but it would seem  _ everything _ cat related lived here. He hadn’t been expecting so many choices in just one small section, but he was already content with their trip, space pants or not. Saeyoung realized he’d left the cat socks on his shoulder while poking through the display, and added that to the basket too. 

Realizing that she was going to be digging through racks of clothing, he took the basket from her. Satisfied with his feline haul, he allowed himself to be guided to where Zifeara had intended them to be. The three circular racks of clearance wear were separated into shirts, dresses and pants, and jackets, all further divided up by size. Kind of. As much as things could be with so many people picking them up and putting them back.

As excited as he was about the prospect of space pants, he was more interested in seeing what Zifeara would pick out. He watched as she sifted through the vaguely organized assortment of garments. She was doing it so quickly, he was starting to wonder if she was even looking at them or just seeing a different shade of black than he was. Saeyoung was transfixed by the motion of her hands, rapidly scanning each rejected item, struggling to determine if there was a logical system. All these things were, as far as he could tell, either the wrong size entirely, something she deemed ugly, or some other magical category of unacceptable.

When it looked like she was going to continue her patrol around the entire shirt rack, Saeyoung started letting his eyes wander to the other ones, idly scanning for stars and nebulas or anything else that caught his interest. He rolled his eyes at a pair of pajama pants with neon green 0’s and 1’s dripping down them in a blur. Not his favorite movie. By the time he’d snapped back to attention, Zifeara was holding a new dress, a pair of pants, and something else under them.

“Have you even been looking through any of this? I’m three whole things up on you because all the cat things don’t count.” The hint of challenge in her tone suggested a competition he was entirely unaware of.

He stuck his tongue out at her. “Hey, socks are a thing!” Once he fished them out of the basket, he held them up and realized… he’d picked out leggings rather than socks. “Alright fine, four to zero.” 

He couldn’t bring himself to be mad that she laughed at him- she’d look great in these and hopefully when they got home, she’d try them on with not much else. Feeling the blush creep up his cheeks, he busied himself with looking through a nearby display of clothing. After flicking through a few options, he started to see why some of this was on clearance. A lot of this didn’t even come in human sizes. 

_ Ew, nope, nuh-uh… Ah ha! _ A hoodie caught his eye, bright red fading into black and covered in nebula patterns. It wasn’t as loose and comfy looking as his usual one but maybe he could change things up a bit. Especially now that he had a jacket-stealing girlfriend. He draped it over his arm and went back to sifting through black and off-black items as fast as he could. 

Zifeara was already done with all three piles and was milling about one side of the store closest to him, gazing up at the dresses hung on the wall. The face she made as she turned back to him suggested she was about as done as she’d get. “I’m going to go get an employee so they can use one of the long, wrangling hooks to find a dress in my size and open up the fitting room. Stay close, yeah?”

Saeyoung pointed up at the dress she was looking at, or so he hoped. “That one would look amazing on you, and if it doesn’t come with pockets, I’ll add some if you want!” 

Scrunching her face in amusement, she started walking away before really finishing her sentence. “Oh mhm, sure, and I’ll just pretend like you sew better than you cook.”

He made a face at her back, but it turned into a grin as he watched her saunter over to the central counter vicinity. Gazing over the ocean of black clad figures, he half wondered how she could tell an employee from literally anyone else here. With a mental shrug, he poked through the clothing rack and ended up finding two more decent candidates, leaving him only one item down. 

Noting this seemed to be taking longer than it should have, the realization triggered every alarm he’d been trying to silence all day. His eyes darted from person to person, frantically scanning for the three major defining features of the only human he cared about in this place: long hair, indigo eyes, freckles.  _ Wrong, wrong, wrong, wro- _

The instant he finally spotted her, Saeyoung wasn’t sure if he was more happy or annoyed. The worker she’d found was clearly the issue. The young man had bright green hair and was covered in tattoos, the clear topic of conversation he’d held Zifeara up with since she’d lifted the sleeve of her shirt to reveal hers. 

He should be content that she’s safe, but something about the scene made him bristle and chew at the inside of his cheek. They were just talking. This…  _ guy  _ was chatting up his girlfriend and it was fine. Zifeara was his, she had no interest in this loser and would realize she’d kept him waiting any second. He couldn’t understand why it irked him so much. They’d gone out before with her in clothing that revealed more of her skin than this. But the way this twerp was smiling and leaning over the counter towards her… 

Before he knew it, Saeyoung was standing right behind her, unintentionally looming, eyes locked on Greenhair. “Hey,  _ buddy _ . Was pretty sure my  _ girlfriend _ came over here to get you to help us with the dressing room, not ogle her all day.” Part of his mind was screaming that he needed to chill or Zifeara was going to kick his ass for this, and the rest of it wanted to punch this kid directly in the nose. He shook out the hand that he’d apparently clenched into a fist. 

In retrospect, she would have be deaf to have missed the venom dripping from his mouth, but Zifeara merely gave that  _ look _ \- the one that meant she hadn’t been prepared for whatever just happened, but was processing it. “Uh, yeah babe, I did, and then  _ I  _ asked him about his Bokemon tattoos because they’re cool. You in some kind of hurry to be somewhere all of a sudden?”

Instead of replying, he just nodded pointedly at the employee, jerking his chin towards the hanging dresses. He wasn’t trying to glare holes into anyone exactly, but something about his threatening aura spurred the kid into action. “Right! She wanted help with the dresses up on the wall!” Greenhair was scrambling around as he spoke, knocking a few things off the counter in his frantic search for the stick he needed. He burst out of the cashier box and practically ran to the display. “Which one did you uh, guys want, again?” 

Saeyoung almost felt bad for the guy who was bouncing nervously on the balls of his feet, and yet, he had to admit the response was kind of satisfying. 

“The cat one.” While Zifeara was talking to Greenhair, she hadn’t stopped eyeing her boyfriend suspiciously. He couldn’t tell if she was annoyed with him or not, but he wasn’t going to apologize for making another guy stop flirting with her.

The very second the kid had the dress down and Zifeara had half a grip on it, he shoved his key into the lock securing the changing room before diving back behind his counter like a bomb was about to go off. As if that would really protect him. Saeyoung offered one last snarl in his general direction, just for good measure.

He may not have known much about this place, but he was fairly certain that they weren’t supposed to be in the weird changing room at the same time, just like any other clothing store. That was exactly why he was confused when Zifeara shoved him into it and shut the rolling shutter. She had apparently made up her mind on whether she was mad at him or not.

“Alright, what was that. You’re usually kinda squirrely, but that was weird even for you.” She wasn’t exactly glaring, per se, but she didn’t look too happy either.

Genuinely confused, he asked, “What was… what?” 

“The extremely obvious to anyone in the entire country outburst of jealousy? I swear to god, if you’re about to get pissy with any guy I talk to, I’m going to stop taking you places. There’s a line in the sand, Saeyoung, and that particular one is drawn with a log.” She crossed her arms, scowling over her armful of forgotten clothes.

“Jealous?” He paused for a moment. Once he played back what just happened in his mind, he realized he had likely looked like a complete creep to anyone paying attention. She watched him deflate, slumping against the wall. “Oh,  _ God _ . I’m… I’m the asshole boyfriend, aren’t I?”

Saeyoung mentally kicked himself. Why the hell was he acting like that? Then again, he’d never had anything or anyone to call his own, not that he had any delusions that he owned Zifeara. More like, he’d never had anything he cared about losing. 

The irritation visibly melted out of his girlfriend as she shook her head at him. “Yeah, a little. You saw what I did in Mint Eye, you’ve seen me handle your brother, you  _ know _ that the only man on this planet who could hurt me is one of a small group of professional wrestlers.”

He chuckled at her joke, a little bit of his worry melting away. Maybe he hadn’t fucked this up after all. 

She softened as the weak sound escaped him. “You also know I fought a literal cult with you and did it because I love you and your edgelord of a brother. I’ve told you nearly as much as I’ve threatened you that you’re mine and you aren’t allowed to leave me anymore. What makes you think I’d do the same to you?”

“I…” Saeyoung tensed up again. That’s not what he meant. He knew Zifeara would never… God, is this what jealousy is? This helpless feeling that the only woman who loved him could slip out of his hands, his life, so easily, even though he knows better? “I know you wouldn’t,” he said in almost a whisper. Did he? He wanted to take his idiot brain out and shake it until it got with the program. 

"Then you're going to have to get used to the fact that guys flirt with me. A lot. It's part of looking like I do. Difference is, they don't get the unique privilege of being tied to my bed at night. That's your job now." The smirk on her face clearly denoted she was trying to tease him into at least lightening up, at most incite something they probably didn't have time for in here.

While trying to wrangle his train of thought back onto the right rails, he found himself having trouble making eye contact with her, fearing she’d somehow be able to read his mind. He didn’t doubt her conviction… only his own worth. Preoccupied arguing with himself, he didn’t quite catch the meaning in her look at first. It became all too clear the moment she leaned forward, handful of clothes forgotten on the small bench next to them. Her now unoccupied hands trapped him in the corner, one dipping dangerously close to his inner thigh.

At the sudden contact, the arguments spinning up in his brain ground to a screeching halt and every bit of his attention was laser focused on her touch. Saeyoung finally met the utterly wanton look Zifeara was giving him and he had to slap a hand over his mouth to stop whatever awkward, strangled sound nearly escaped from him.  _ Here?! Now?!  _ The temperature in the tiny changing room instantly became sweltering, leaving his cheeks burning. Panic and excitement and several other intense emotions that wouldn’t  _ hold still _ long enough for him to name them jolted through him, leaving him momentarily paralyzed. 

Bending further in to press her mouth to his pulse point, she was doing an awful lot of tempting right now. While he'd had a few fantasies about doing something like this in public before, he didn't think they had the  _ time _ . Not to mention… he didn't feel as ready for this as he thought he'd be. He was certain they'd been in here for too long already, but-

Saeyoung could nearly feel every cell in his body screaming that it didn't care about time in any regard anymore at the tone she used. He knew that tone only led to excellent things. "You know I'd prove how much no one else really does anything for me right now if you wanted me to. Only thing stopping me is that you look nervous as Hell."

In an uncharacteristically high pitched squeak, he managed, “We’ll get caught! B-but,” his voice sounded far too loud to his ears. If Greenhair was still anywhere near this half of the store, there was no doubt he’d heard that. In a whispered rush, he said, “But I also kinda don’t care.” Having said that, a little bit of his confidence returned and he reached for her just in time for her to dance back a step.

Zifeara giggled. "Nope, you definitely care and you're nervous. This isn't the last time we'll be out somewhere debauchery can be done, today is just not the day for it. It can wait til we get home." That hint of fond mockery crept back in at the last second. "But you are going to have to take your pants off to try on clothes. You know, like we came in here for."

“Right.”  _ Breathe, idiot. _ “Space pants.” A glance at the pile of clothing he’d dumped on the bench reminded him of all the random things he’d grabbed, those weren’t included. The absurdity of everything that had transpired over the last… what felt like five solid years of his life in Hot Topic bubbled up in him, escaping as a manic, nervous laugh. “Plan B. Anything that doesn’t fit is a problem for future-me.” 

"Well," grabbing the cat dress that started this whole godforsaken mess in the first place, Zifeara took it off the hanger, "you're going to have to behave yourself then because dresses are hard as fuck to eyeball. I will have no clue if this fits in the slightest or hangs off me weird unless I put it on. Sorry babe. Self control for you."

All she was doing was taking her shirt off. Like he'd seen her do several times already. You know. Because they were dating and had sex before and this  _ really _ wasn't something that should be weird. And he couldn’t make his escape because she was half dressed and Greenhair was out there somewhere still, along with what sounded like two teenage girls squawking about who knows what. He pressed himself against the back wall as if trying to become one with it.  _ Oh shit, she had the cute red bra on today.  _ Self control. He could do that. So long as she didn’t… and suddenly his view was blocked by the shirt she draped over his head. 

"Hold this for me, pumpkin. You probably don't need to watch me do this~ You're pretending to be a good boy again like I haven't already fixed that problem."

Jaw twitching slightly, he stood stock still. Every very deliberate breath was now inundated with her bewitching perfume. Self control. He could still do that. So long as he peeled this off his face… which he instantly regretted. Sort of. Zifeara had the dress on already, but reached far enough back behind herself to zip it up without his help, only reminding him of how flexible  _ every  _ part of her was. Saeyoung was wondering how much ice cream money he'd be bribing Saeran with when they got home to just  _ leave _ . 

Turning around and giving a twirl, she genuinely seemed to be more concerned with what she was wearing as opposed to how much trouble she was about to be in. "I actually kinda like it. Doesn't feel weird, doesn't look dumb on me. Has a cat face on my whole torso and a tail. Is black. It's cute."

“Cute! Yep!” The rest of his response came out in a harried jumble. “Very cute and ah yes, that’s definitely a tail. We’re buying the cat dress. Can we go now?” 

Glancing over her shoulder at him only exacerbated his growing annoyance at the fact they couldn't just  _ be _ home right now. "You wanna skip the movie, don't you Saeyoung?"

“Affirmative!” 

Snickering, she picked her shirt back out of his hand. "Fuckin' nerd. Alright, alright. Call your brother and tell him to clear out. I have a feeling he's going to want a warning about tonight."

As she changed out of her new dress and gathered up stuff to heap on the sales counter, Saeyoung shoved the items he’d picked into the basket. He made a point to let her leave the dressing room first, carrying the basket in front of him. 

Once they made it to the counter, Greenhair visibly ducked behind a coworker, pushing them to the appropriate side to handle their sale. Damn right he did. The sooner they paid for all these things, the sooner they left, the faster they disregarded the speed limit to get home, the quicker they shunted Saeran out the bunker door with many more bills than it really took to get ice cream.

The heap of clothing and cat-themed-everything was paid for in cash and minimal human interaction, and the couple made their way back into the crowded mall thoroughfare. Outside of the cave-like atmosphere of the store, the rest of the mall seemed unnaturally bright. One more reason to leave this place and get back to the bunker in record time. Saeyoung grabbed Zifeara’s hand, this time not out of anxiety but anticipation. 

"I just really need to get you worked up in public more often, don't I? I have this weird feeling that the next RFA party is going to be a lot of fun. Just think of all the closets there were at the last venue." She sounded exactly as much like she was thinking out loud as actually talking to him.

Without missing a beat and now no longer in a frantic state of mind, his tone was even and dangerous. “So long as we find a door that locks, a room that's quiet, and I get to rip you out of a dress.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading, if you'd like to come say hi to either Moonie or myself, find us at @ZifearasHoard or @Moonfireflight respectively on Twitter! We love talking to readers!


End file.
